Augusta, 04 April: We are about 24 hours from the first knocks at the Tea Olive on Thursday. The temperatures in Augusta have dropped considerably, but that has done nothing to dissipate the heat of anticipation. We are in the throes of a spectacular season on the PGA TOUR, with nine of the 25 events going to a playoff. Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, John Rahm, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy have all won titles this season. Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson have also thrown their hat in the ring. Tiger Woods is inching back towards his best, making magical chips and long putts.
There is plenty of excitement in India with Shubhankar Sharma being rewarded for his success on the European Tour with a special invitation to the Masters. The 21-year-old has catapulted himself into the global spotlight climbing over 450 ranking spots since November 2017.
Victories in Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur have come against a quality field of internationals. But what has been most impressive has been his run in Mexico, where he ran the table for 54 holes, before finishing in T9.
A good run this week will confirm his arrival on the big stages of golf and seal his future as a potential global star in golf. Nike’s multi-million dollar investment in Shubhankar over the next few years is a harbinger of what the future may hold for Shubhankar.
But nothing short of victory will do for some of the others in the field. None more so than Rory McIlroy, who is eager as always to try and complete his collection of majors. Rory won the US Open in 2011 and then picked up the Open and PGA Championship titles in 2014. He has been coming here four years now looking to claim the one title that slipped away from his grasp in 2011.
Woods is a four-time winner but hasn’t won one since his victory in 2005. Since recovering from a fourth back surgery in three years, he has shown some remarkable form. His last ten rounds on the PGA TOUR have par or better, indicating a return to form.
Mickelson is a three-time winner in Augusta, but at 47, he was in the midst of a lengthy drought. That changed when he won the WGC Mexico Championship in a playoff against Thomas.
World No.1 Dustin Johnson suffered a freak fall last year, taking himself out of the Masters through injury. After a couple of top 10 finishes in 2015 & 2016, Johnson is back in Augusta wanting more.
“Well, I mean, yeah, because I get asked it every day out here on the range or walking down the fairway,” Johnson said when asked if he thought about the incident. “I’m reminded all the time. So, yeah, I definitely was thinking about it. It is what it is. It was kind of just a freak thing and it happened, there’s nothing I can do about it except I’m here this year, hopefully I can tee it up on Thursday, and definitely be looking forward to that.
“Yeah, it’s good. Starting to swing it a lot better. Feeling a lot better on the golf course, for sure.”
With two victories already this season, Thomas has picked it off well after taking the PGA Championship and Dell Technologies last year. A contemporary of Jordan Spieth, Thomas would like to emulate his friend and put on a Green Jacket this Sunday. But then there are so many other men with an overwhelming desire to be its owner this weekend.
